Hydraulically controlled pressure cap

ABSTRACT

In a veneer slicer including a knife having a cutting edge, a knife carrier, a pressure bar, and a carriage or pressure cap for the pressure bar, the carriage being movable relative to the knife carrier and arranged to hold the pressure bar in a predetermined spaced relationship relative to the cutting edge, the improvement comprising first fluid motor means for moving the carriage to move the pressure bar toward and away from the knife, clamping means, and second fluid motor means for operating the clamping means to clamp the carriage in a selected position to hold the pressure bar in a selected position relative to the cutting edge.

United States Patent Koss [54] HYDRAULICALLY CONTROLLED PRESSURE CAP 3,441,069 4/1969 Koss ....l44/l78X 3,473,585 10/1969 Cremona ..l44/213 [151 3,654,973 [4 1 Apr. 11, 1972 3,584,666 6/1971 Jensen 144/2 1 3 Primary Examiner-Donald Schran Attomey-Hood, Gust, Irish, Lundy & Coffey ABSTRACT In a veneer slicer including a knife having a cutting edge, a knife carrier, a pressure bar, and a carriage or pressure cap for the pressure bar, the carriage being movable relative to the knife carrier and arranged to hold the pressure bar in a predetermined spaced relationship relative to the cutting edge, the improvement comprising first fluid motor means for moving the carriage to move the pressure bar toward and away from the knife, clamping means, and second fluid motor means for operating the clamping means to clamp the carriage in a selected position to hold the pressure bar in a selected position relative to the cutting edge.

11 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPR 1 1 I972 3,654,973

RESERVOIR, VALVE, a

PUMP SYSTEM INVENTORS LOUIS J. KOSS To NEYS I HYDRAULICALLY CONTROLLED PRESSURE CAP It is a primary object of my present invention to provide means for accurately and quickly moving the carriage of a veneer slicer relative to its knife carrier accurately to position its pressure bar relative to its knife.

Veneer slicers conventionally include a knife having a cutting edge, a carrier arranged to hold the knife relative to a movable flitch table, a pressure bar, and a carriage for holding the pressure bar relative to the knife. Carriages are sometimes referred to as pressure caps. Conventionally, the carriages are movable relative to the knife carrier so that the pressure bar can be accurately positioned relative to the cutting edge of the knife. Reference is made to the Louis J. Koss US. Pat No. 3,441,069 issued Apr. 29, 1969 and disclosing the structure of veneer slicers and particularly the relationship of the pressure bar and the knife.

Quite often, during operation of a veneer slicer, the carriage and pressure bar must be moved away from the knife so that the knife can be cleaned or honed or in some manner treated to improve its cutting ability. Further, the carriage can be moved to adjust the spacing between the pressure bar and knife to determine the thickness of the veneer to be cut. Thus, in accordance with my invention, the carriage which carries and supports the pressure bar is movable toward and away from the knife. Particularly, the carriage is movable relative to the knife carrier.

My invention comprises fluid motor means for moving the carriage toward and away from the knife, clamping means, and second fluid motor means for operating the clamping means to clamp the carriage in a selected position relative to the knife carrier.

I prefer to use hydraulic power cylinders to slide the carriage on the knife carrier, one hydraulic cylinder being disposed at each end of the carriage, and hydraulic power cylinders for operating the clamping means, one clamping means being disposed at each end of the carriage. Further, as will be more fully discussed hereinafter, I prefer to provide the necessary fine adjustment of the carriage and, consequently, the pressure bar by mounting the cylinders which serve to move the carriage on support members which are selectively adjustably movable by micrometer adjustment mechanism, the piston rods of such cylinders being fastened to the carriage for movement therewith. I prefer to construct the clamping means so that the carriage can be moved by the micrometer adjustment mechanism while the clamping means is engaged. I also prefer to construct the hydraulic system so that the clamping is provided automatically when the carriage is moved to the desired location relative to the knife.

Other objects and features of my present invention will become apparent as this description progresses.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a veneer slicer showing the knife carrier, pressure bar and carriage for the pressure bar; and

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical view showing, in schematic form, my present invention as applied to a veneer slicer.

Referring now to the drawings, which are not drawn to scale, it will be seen that I have illustrated a portion of a veneer slicer comprising a knife 12 having a cutting edge 14, a pressure bar 16, and a carriage 18 for the pressure bar. The pressure bar 16 is conventionally clamped to the carriage by clamping means such as illustrated at 20, and the carriage 18 is mounted on the slicer for sliding movement relative to the knife carrier 22 as indicated by the arrows 24, 26. Specifically, the carriage 18 is slidably movable away from the knife 12 as indicated by the arrow 24 and toward the knife as indicated by the arrow 26. In the drawings, I have not shown the means by which the carriage 18 is slidably supported relative to the knife carrier 22, but such means are well known and do not constitute a part of my present invention.

During operation of the veneer slicer, the front of the pressure bar 16 is disposed just a few thousandths of an inch away from the cutting edge 14, the space depending upon the type of wood being sliced into veneer as well as the thickness of the veneer. The function of the pressure bar 16 and its relationship relative to the knife 12 are well known in the veneer cutting art and need not be discussed, in detail, in this description. It will suffice to say, however, that the pressure bar 16 must be accurately positioned relative to the knife 12.

In order to provide movement of the carriage 18 toward and away from the knife 12, I provide, adjacent each end of the carriage, a hydraulic cylinder 28 and its cooperating piston 29 and piston rod 30. Each piston rod 30 is connected to the end of the carriage 18 as indicated at 32. I then provide means for anchoring each cylinder 28, the illustrative anchoring means being a micrometer adjustment mechanism indicated generally at 34. My preferred anchoring means includes a conventional and commercially available micrometer adjustment mechanism 34 which does not need to be discussed, in detail, herein. Each cylinder 28 is connected to a support member 36 which is selectively adjustably movable by its associated adjustment mechanism 34. In FIG. 1, the connection between the support member 36 and the cylinder 28 is indicated at 38. Thus, each cylinder 28 is mounted for selectively adjustable movement relative to the knife carrier 22. Each micrometer adjustment mechanism 34 includes a hand crank 40, the mechanism being rigidly fastened to the veneer slicer by means such as the illustrated bolts 42. Each micrometer adjustment mechanism 34 may include, for instance, a worm and worm gear arrangement for shifting the support member 36 in the direction of the arrows 24, 26.

I provide means for clamping the carriage 18 in its selected position, the illustrative clamping means including, adjacent each end of the carriage, a hydraulic cylinder 44 and its cooperating piston 46 and piston rod 48. Each piston rod 48 extends vertically downwardly through a slot 49 extending through the carriage l8 and elongated in the direction of its movement as indicated by the arrows 24, 26. The lower end of each slot 48 is rigidly fastened to the knife carrier 22. For instance, the lower end of each piston rod 48 may be threaded into the knife carrier 22 as illustrated; Further, a lock nut 52 may be threaded onto the lower end of the piston rod 48 as illustrated for conventional reasons. Thus, each cylinder 44 reciprocates vertically while its cooperative piston rod 48 is stationary. Each cylinder 44 carries a clamping member 54. Each clamping member 54 provides an engaging surface which is cylindrically formed about an axis extending generally parallel to the cutting edge 14. Each clamping member, i.e., the cylindrically formed engaging surface of each clamping member, engages a generally fiat upwardly facing surface of the carriage 18. The axial length of each engaging member 54 may be, for instance, between 6 and 10 inches, it will be appreciated that each member 54 is penetrated by its associated piston rod 48. Each slot 49, therefore, is bounded in part by the said generally flat engaging surface provided at each end of the carriage 18.

I turn now to Fig. 2 which shows, in block form, a reservoir, valve, and pump system 58 which may be provided by connecting together a plurality of conventional and commercially available hydraulic control systems. One output of the system 58 is a hydraulic line 60 which is connected to the rear end (left-hand end as viewed in FIG. 1) of each cylinder 28 by means of a line 62. The left-hand end of each cylinder 28 is also connected to the lower end of its adjacent and associated cylinder 44 by a line 64. Then, as illustrated, a hydraulic line 66 connects the system 58 to a pair of lines 68, each of which is connected to the right-hand end of a cylinder 28. The righthand end of each cylinder 28 is also connected by hydraulic line 70 to the upper end of the adjacent and cylinder 44, the lines 70 may include valves 70'. Thus, when the hydraulic fluid is forced from the system 58 through the line 60, the piston rods 30 move in the direction of the arrow 26 to move the carriage 18 toward the knife 12; and when hydraulic fluid is forced from the system 58 through the line 66, the piston rods 30 move in the direction of the arrow 24 to move the carriage 18 away from the knife 12. When each piston 29 moves in the direction of the arrow 26 to bottom-out at the right-hand end of its cylinder 28, the pressure of the fluid being pumped into the left-hand end of that cylinder is applied directly to the lower end of the adjacent cylinder 44 to force that cylinder 44 vertically downwardly to engage tightly its clamping member 54 against the carriage 18. Thus, the fluid pumped through each line 62 is effective to move the carriage 18 in the direction of the arrow 26 and automatically to clamp the carriage in the position obtained by moving the pistons 29 as far as they will go in the direction of the arrow 26. Then, in order to provide the necessary fine adjustment of the pressure bar 16 relative to the cutting edge 14, the micrometer adjustment mechanisms 34 are operated accurately to shift the cylinders 28 and, consequently, the carriage 18, toward and away from the knife 12. It will be appreciated that the micrometer adjustment mechanisms 34 are effective to shift the carriage 18 even though it is clamped at each end by the cylinders 44 and clamping members 54. However, it is only necessary to move the carriage 18 a few thousandths of an inch by the micrometer adjustment mechanisms, and this can be accomplished by conventional and commercially available mechanisms even though the carriage is clamped in place. The cylindrically formed clamping members 54 accommodate this action.

Alternatively, I may use the valves 70' in the lines 70, respectively, to control cylinders 44. These valves 70 may be sequentially operated to actuate the cylinders after the carriage 18 is in the proper position.

What is claimed is:

1. In a veneer slicer including a knife having a cutting edge, a knife carrier, a pressure bar, and a carriage for said pressure bar, said carriage being movable relative to said knife carrier and arranged to hold said pressure bar in a predetermined spaced relationship relative to said cutting edge, the improvement comprising first fluid motor means for moving said carriage to move said pressure bar toward and away from said knife, clamping means, and second fluid motor means for operating said clamping means to clamp said carriage in a selected position to hold said pressure bar in a selected position relative to said cutting edge.

2. The invention of claim 1 in which said first fluid motor means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a first hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod, the piston rod of each first cylinder being connected to said carriage for movement therewith, and including means for anchoring each first cylinder relative to said knife carrier.

3. The invention of claim 2 in which each of said anchoring means includes a micrometer adjustment mechanism including a support member selectively adjustably movable toward and away from said knife, each first cylinder being connected to its associated support member for movement therewith.

4. The invention of claim 1 in which said second fluid motor means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a second hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod, and in which said clamping means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a clamping member proportioned and designed to engage said carriage, each clamping member being operatively connected to the adjacent second hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod.

5. The invention of claim 4 in which each clamping member provides an engaging surface cylindrically formed about an axis extending generally parallel to said cutting edge, and in which said carriage is formed to provide, adjacent each of its ends, a generally flat surface generally parallel to the direction of movement of said carriage, each flat surface being disposed to be engaged by one of said cylindrically formed engaging surfaces.

6. The invention of dam 5 1n WhlCh said carriage 15 formed to provide a slot in each flat surface extending through said carriage and elongated in the direction of movement of said carriage, in which the piston rod of each second cylinder extends through the adjacent slot to have its distal end rigidly attached to said knife carrier, and in which each clamping member is carried by the adjacent second cylinder for movement therewith toward and away from the adjacent flat surface.

7. The invention of claim 6 in which said first fluid motor means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a first hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod, the piston rod of each first cylinder being connected to said carriage for movement therewith, and including means for anchoring each first cylinder relative to said knife carrier.

8. The invention of claim 7 in which each of said anchoring means includes a micrometer adjustment mechanism including a support member selectively adjustably movable toward and away from said knife, each first cylinder being connected to its associated support member for movement therewith.

9. The invention of claim 3 in which said second fluid motor means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a second hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod, and in which said clamping means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a clamping member proportioned and designed to engage said carriage, each clamping member being operatively connected to the adjacent second hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod.

10. The invention of claim 9 in which each clamping member provides an engaging surface cylindrically formed about an axis extending generally parallel to said cutting edge, and in which said carriage is formed to provide, adjacent each of its ends, a generally flat surface generally parallel to the direction of movement of said carriage, each flat surface being disposed to be engaged by one of said cylindrically formed engaging surfaces.

11. The invention of claim 9 in which each said first hydraulic cylinder is connected directly to the adjacent second hydraulic cylinder, said cylinders being proportioned and designed such that, when the piston rods in said first cylinders are fully extended, said second cylinders are operated automatically to clamp said carriage. 

1. In a veneer slicer including a knife having a cutting edge, a knife carrier, a pressure bar, and a carriage for said pressure bar, said carriage being movable relative to said knife carrier and arranged to hold said pressure bar in a predetermined spaced relationship relative to said cutting edge, the improvement cOmprising first fluid motor means for moving said carriage to move said pressure bar toward and away from said knife, clamping means, and second fluid motor means for operating said clamping means to clamp said carriage in a selected position to hold said pressure bar in a selected position relative to said cutting edge.
 2. The invention of claim 1 in which said first fluid motor means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a first hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod, the piston rod of each first cylinder being connected to said carriage for movement therewith, and including means for anchoring each first cylinder relative to said knife carrier.
 3. The invention of claim 2 in which each of said anchoring means includes a micrometer adjustment mechanism including a support member selectively adjustably movable toward and away from said knife, each first cylinder being connected to its associated support member for movement therewith.
 4. The invention of claim 1 in which said second fluid motor means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a second hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod, and in which said clamping means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a clamping member proportioned and designed to engage said carriage, each clamping member being operatively connected to the adjacent second hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod.
 5. The invention of claim 4 in which each clamping member provides an engaging surface cylindrically formed about an axis extending generally parallel to said cutting edge, and in which said carriage is formed to provide, adjacent each of its ends, a generally flat surface generally parallel to the direction of movement of said carriage, each flat surface being disposed to be engaged by one of said cylindrically formed engaging surfaces.
 6. The invention of claim 5 in which said carriage is formed to provide a slot in each flat surface extending through said carriage and elongated in the direction of movement of said carriage, in which the piston rod of each second cylinder extends through the adjacent slot to have its distal end rigidly attached to said knife carrier, and in which each clamping member is carried by the adjacent second cylinder for movement therewith toward and away from the adjacent flat surface.
 7. The invention of claim 6 in which said first fluid motor means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a first hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod, the piston rod of each first cylinder being connected to said carriage for movement therewith, and including means for anchoring each first cylinder relative to said knife carrier.
 8. The invention of claim 7 in which each of said anchoring means includes a micrometer adjustment mechanism including a support member selectively adjustably movable toward and away from said knife, each first cylinder being connected to its associated support member for movement therewith.
 9. The invention of claim 3 in which said second fluid motor means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a second hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod, and in which said clamping means includes, adjacent each end of said carriage, a clamping member proportioned and designed to engage said carriage, each clamping member being operatively connected to the adjacent second hydraulic cylinder and its cooperating piston and piston rod.
 10. The invention of claim 9 in which each clamping member provides an engaging surface cylindrically formed about an axis extending generally parallel to said cutting edge, and in which said carriage is formed to provide, adjacent each of its ends, a generally flat surface generally parallel to the direction of movement of said carriage, each flat surface being disposed to be engaged by one of said cylindrically formed engaging surfaces.
 11. The invention of claim 9 in which each said first hydraulic cylinder is conneCted directly to the adjacent second hydraulic cylinder, said cylinders being proportioned and designed such that, when the piston rods in said first cylinders are fully extended, said second cylinders are operated automatically to clamp said carriage. 